a33i30

iTrader: (4)

^ yes, all a33 body struts/springs fit each other.

RLStrick756

Did you sell your suspension parts yet? Why?

burtonmaina

iTrader: (1)

Canuck Motorsports: Drop 1.8" front, 1.6" rear < Correct Drop 1.8" Front and 1.8 Rear http://www.canuckmotorsports.com/cat...ort.html#Nssan

quiksilver20004

yeah sorry i already sold them. I sold them because i got a new project and stopped driving the car and needed some money so i put the stock setup back on and sold my suspension

eddie982

iTrader: (10)

Hello all, very interesting, informative and enlightening posts here, i'm a noob too like the other guy here and i drive a 98 max gxe (bone stock) and i am looking forward to my first upgrade. I did a lot of reading and just completed reading a 15 page thread here on diff springs + shocks/strut combos for diff type of ride requirements.
I am looking for the most comfortable ride possible with no real performance requirement, my max has 117,000 miles, like other guys in this thread i also feel that the stock height on our cars is too high, my rear bounces too much on the highway at certain parts where the road has elevated patches and bumps or on rough roads.

I had another 98 max that i had before and i changed the shocks to monroe sensa trac and they were excellent on rough roads and it made a HUGE diff in ride quality, they were superb at adapting to rapid changes in road conditions and i was very satisfied (that max is driven by my dad now and different from my car). My car is too floaty and there is too much gap between the wheel and body. So based on what info i have gleaned from this forum, I've narrowed down to Tein H-tech which offers a decent Front 1.6, Rear 1.2 drop with aggressive look paired with monroe sensa tracs for a comfy ride. I decided on sensa tracs instead of Kyb GR-2's because i read that the gr2's are 10% stiffer than stock and my stock shocks are not good at all on potholes, rough roads and rapid changes to road conditions, whereas the sensa tracs based on my previous experience are excellent in those aspects. Some or most of the people here may think that sensa tracs are soft but thats what i want and i'm expecting the ride to be very comfy when they work with the lightweight H-Techs which have more stroke due to their lightweight vanadium construction. (See, i read and did my homework)

What do u guys think??? Please weigh in, i'm really looking forward to your insight! I know this is 5th gen but its a great thread and could really use everybody's insight

RLStrick756

You should not go with Monroes because they will not function the way they are designed if you drop below the OEM height. This is based on my personal experience on the same subject with Monroe's corporate level.

MoncefA33

iTrader: (6)

+1. The KYB GR2/AGX is 'stiffer' because they're struts that are designed to handle a shorter spring (lowering spring), so the dampening is adjusted accordingly so you do not hit the bump stops and the ride is consistent (not bouncy.)

For good riding performance struts check out the Tokico Illumina. 5-way adjustable.

eddie982

iTrader: (10)

Great advice on the monroes, so do you think the sensa tracs wont perform as good and may blow prematurely?? that would leave me with gr-2 or Illumina's at 1- setting which would be the softest... Where i live in jersey the roads are atrocious, many bumps and unevenness, jarring potholes.. how comfortable are the gr-2's, are they close to the sensa tracs? and how is the illumina's -1 setting compared to gr2's. My main goal is a comfy ride but if the tein H's balance out a little of the stiffness of the illumina's then maybe thats the way to go for me? what you guys suggest for me?

krsmax

Need a little help folks. Just installed Tokico Blues all the way around on my 00 GLE and I'm getting a popping noise in the rear. I torqued everything down had it aligned but its getting noisey in the back. Any thoughts on what might be knocking around in there before I jack it up and take the rears out and jump on them? Springs are stock Car has 107k on it

Thanks

OOmaxSE

iTrader: (19)

I'd look at the two 14mm (maybe 12mm) bolts that hold the rear upper mounts. Those need to be tight but also, recheck the 14mm shock bolt and make sure it's being tightened and NOT moving with the shock rod.

krsmax

I put a set of 4 Tockico Blues on my on my 2000 GLE. Love them they are great. Problem is the rear struts pop when backing out of the driveway or when the car lists slightly form a stop. I have called Tockico/Hitachi about this and they tell me to spray silicone on the strut rod. After many calls on hold. Support seems to be one guy at adesk who is never there.

Does anyone know why I get a popping noise. Is it the springs not seating right at the strut tower top hat area?

I have re istalled them twice torqued to spec and this noise is making me nutz.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Why do you love them, and why are they great?

Sorry I'm not addressing your problem, but I'm curious to read some depth into that opinion. Since you just installed them, your impressions are probably fresh.

RLStrick756

Does anyone know what the approximate life expectancy of the OEM struts? Aren't Tockico Blues the aftermarket replacements for the OEM struts? I am considering the Teins with EDFC, which is considered an upgrade..right?

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Struts in the GLE and GXE were Nissan branded (manufactured?) However, the SE got Tokico's, (and a thicker FSB.) They aren't the HP Blues, but are generally considered a stock replacement because you typically run them with OEM springs.

Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, but that's the take-away I got from researching this throughout the last year. I'm either going with Tein SS coilovers or Tokico HP Blues next spring, which is why I asked KRSMAX for his impressions. (Big cost difference, so I'm taking my time.)

RLStrick756

I didn't realize FSB's are on any of the 5th Gen Maximas? Please confirm...anybody! Please send pictures as well.

homeyclaus

iTrader: (1)

Ha. I think he meant sway bar.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Huh?

Upgrade, yes. Quite the understatement, too. Lots of money to put into a 9 year old car, Strick.

RLStrick756

If it looks and runs as good at the 18-year point, IMO it would be worth it...just like the 90-96 Zcars.

jdmf23accord

how do yoo guys this a 280F and a 230R spring would ride

also is canuck a good spring

krsmax

Tockico Blues stiffened the ride on my 2000 GLE and gives me more control. I notice it at 107 k on my old OEMS. Only problemn is a loud pooing in the rear and I'm taking them down again to see if it was something I did wrong.

aseferi

hey i got h&r springs whit kyb gr2 struts i got from nopi.com great setup i just wish the rear sat lower its a 2" drop all around rides pretty smoth for a 2" drop i have a spair set of rear springs they sent me cus it dont sit as low as i like so they shiped me a set for free im thinking about cutting 1 coil off the bottom has anybody done this and what do you think?

IHAVEA2KMAXIMA

iTrader: (7)

Want to bump this thread and ask if anyone is riding on stock strut with Tein H Tech. Any opinion on this setup? Do the bumpstops need to be cut also?

perkman87

iTrader: (6)

what is the camber you guys run, keeping tires in consideration. (for the front)

was it 1.2 ?????????

El_PrOfE

iTrader: (4)

guys im in need of some help i have sort of narrowed down my suspension. im thinkin of tein h techs and tokico blues or ksport springs and tokico blues as well. i like that the ksport has a better drop im running 18 work eurolines. and i want a stiffer ride but still very comfortable? any suggestions. any other springs give me a 2" drop all around?

forgot to mention im also going to offset my wheels thinking of 5 or 10 mm spacers will i need extenders? can someone elaborate on that?

El_PrOfE

iTrader: (4)

any help?

2slow

iTrader: (6)

I'll bite...

First, spacers will not affect the ride (I can't tell if that's what you asked), and should be used with extended studs (if thread engagement is less than 1.5 times the stud's nominal diameter).

As for the spring question check out http://shiftice.com/spring_strut_decision.html(if you haven't already) for ride height comparisons. Based upon the information presented, you're not going to find 2" all around drop without a coilover setup. Also, lowering the car with stiffer springs (necessary with lowering springs to keep the car off the bump stops) will sacrifice ride quality. Regardless, don't forget to shorten the bumpstops, or use shorter bumpstops with lowering springs.

El_PrOfE

iTrader: (4)

i do mostly highway driving mon-friday about45 miles round trip.

FM 1970

Some good info in this thread, looks best to post my question here.

My 2000 SE has 163,000 miles and I can tell the suspension especially the rear is really weak. When people sit in the back you can tell it rides lower and going over bumps is no fun. I'm not a racer nor do I do anything crazy with the car so I'm just looking for the original shocks(struts?) to replace all four. Where can I find the OEM parts for a good price? The only place I can think of is through the dealer unless there is a brand that performs like the OEMs.

I plan to take the car to a mechanic shop so hopefully all I need to replace is the shocks. I used to have a 1993 SE and had Brake Check replace all the struts yet did not know what brand they were and they seemed to perform fine.

With all that said I have a long trip planned from Austin to Atlanta next weekend with 4 people so it looks like a damn good time to get these suspension in order.

Shift_Nashville

Confused as to why my car handles so ****ty...
First off, I'm in Afghanistan right now, so don't bash me for not reading through all the links and doing a bunch of time consuming searches...I just don't have that kind of internet time...

I have KYB GR2's with H&R springs...The ride quality is a little firmer than stock, but it still sucks! It rides more like a cadillac in the sense that it feels like it's floating, but not in a good way. As far as cornering goes, I get lots of body roll. Overall, just feels like it really sloppy suspension, not tight at all, and fairly bouncy.
Why would this be? Seems like other peeps here run similar setups and don't complain about the ride quality.
I'm planning on doing some new suspension soon {ordering the parts and having them installed} But after a bunch of reading, I'm not sure how I should go about this. I'm looking at S Tech's and Illuminas...But now I'm not sure if I should just do Illuminas first and see how the ride goes, or do the S tech's by themselves and see how that affects ride, or just do them both at the same time???
BTW, my current setup is only about 8 months old, and it felt decent for the first week or so, then felt like it just turned to mush...Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks!

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

GR-2's are essentially OEM replacements, and H&R's are typically looked as the softest and least aggressive in the drop/stiffness department, but that's a good thing since Nissan didn't give very much room for .

I'd go with Illuminas and see where that takes you. Also, cannot forget, FSTB/RSB/SFC's help stiffness too.

Shift_Nashville

So are you trying to say that a OEM replacement strut, combined with a soft/non-aggressive spring will cause a really mushy ride that has lots of body roll and bounce???

Thanks...I'll start off with the Illumina's, dial em in, see how those ride with the H&R's, and do springs from there if need be...
Also, Why does an Eibach drop look/measure lower than the H&R drop when the H&R claims to be a bigger drop?
I probably would've chosen the Eibach's but I had a really crappy experience with them on my 3rd gen max...

Also, am I right by saying that the higher a spring rate is, the stiffer it is?

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

I'm not trying to, I just did.




I always use housecor's website for all of my suspension questions.

http://www.shiftice.com/spring_strut_decision.html

Springs vary greatly. Just because it states 1.3, doesn't mean it's 1.3. Tenth of an inch variance could come from a whole helluva lotta things, like weight, etc.


I too had a crappy experience with my 4th gen Eibachs, but, it is generally accepted on here that the 5th gen Eibachs weren't nearly as stiff as they were in the 4th gen...or, I'm not sure if that was the issue with your 3rd gen, but you get the point.

Yes, 900lb / in = it will require 900 lbs to compress a spring 1 inch. Not to be confused with 900 PSI, because that's pressure, different thing.

Stalldaworld

iTrader: (8)

This may be the wrong section but i didnt want to start a new thread.

I am running 5way illuminas and progress springs. They have about 50xxx miles on them.
When i go over uneven road/pot hole with the front pass side wheel i get a loud bang/thumping. Usually happens when i am turning and going over uneven surfaces.

Sounds almost like the strut is loose but its not.

Any ideas? Is my strut blown?

Thanks

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Sounds like it might be your strut mount and bearing.

blasphemy101

I have to say, I love my 02 GLE. The ride on it is great, except for in the turns. If I take turns/curves at even slightly elevated speeds, I can feel the car leaning and compressing it's suspension. It's not incredible body roll, it's just the soft suspension compressing as I turn. I know my struts are still good (just over 60k miles), and I don't (usually) drive like a maniac.

Ideally, it seems that I'd want Tokico Illumina struts, since they're adjustable I'd be able to set them exactly how I want them. However, being an 18 year old college student, $750 for springs+struts is a pretty large price tag.

Would running a oem replacement struts like KYB GR-2s with some good, stiffer springs make a noticeable improvement to the way my car handles, or do I need the stiffer settings on the Illuminas?

I'd probably run H+R springs on either setup. If anyone has any other suggestions it'd be great.

tl;dr - I want the best handling/riding ride for the cheapest price (like that's possible )

BuckeyeMax1982

I'm buying some KYB GR-2 struts for the front of my '03. I notice that the application guide on the KYB website lists two different part numbers for '00-01 and '02-'03. The '02-'03 is twice the price, so I want to go with the '00-'01s, obviously (on a budget...). It's my understanding that all a33 bodies (5/5.5 gen) use the same suspension in the front. Any known issues if I go with the '00-'01 strut on the front of my car? Anyone know the differences in the two models??? Thanks in advance.

Nick